For the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Baker Mayfield era has come with a lot of success.
In three seasons, the team has gone 27-24 with two NFC South division titles and a playoff win.
They haven’t quite been a Super Bowl contender, but they’ve consistently been a competitive team that can go head-to-head with anyone.
But despite being relatively successful, there’s one glaring weakness that the Bucs need to overcome before they can take the next step as a team.
Baker Mayfield, Buccaneers must find a way to win in primetime
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have been slotted for ten primetime games over the last three seasons. They’re 1-9 in those games during the Mayfield era.
The inability to win on the big stage is cause for concern, especially because once the postseason begins, all eyes are on you. If Tampa Bay can’t rise to the occasion under the lights, they’ll never be able to go on a deep playoff run.
There has to be a reason for the Bucs’ poor performance in primetime, but it’s hard to single out the issue. Last season, the game that sticks out is the collapse against the Falcons that helped cost the Bucs a playoff appearance. Tampa Bay held a 28-14 fourth quarter lead and fell apart down the stretch, ultimately losing 29-28.
They had two more absolutely humiliating losses last year in primetime — a 34-7 loss to the Rams and a 24-9 loss to the Lions. Ultimately, it’s more than just one single problem.
There’s been games where the offense did all they could but the defense couldn’t make a stop, and there’s games where the team fell flat in all three phases. It’s the inability to execute as a complete team under the lights that is causing these woes.
The Bucs better figure it out fast, because they were picked for three more primetime games on the 2026 schedule. They’ll face the Dallas Cowboys on Thursday Night Football, the Chicago Bears on Sunday Night Football, and the rival Carolina Panthers on Monday Night Football.
All three games are against fellow NFC playoff hopefuls, and they’ll have postseason implications. If the Bucs can’t find a way to perform in primetime, their season could be doomed before it even begins.
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